Regulation of GSTu1-mediated insecticide resistance in Plutella xylostella by miRNA and lncRNA

PLoS Genet. 2021 Oct 28;17(10):e1009888. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009888. eCollection 2021 Oct.

Abstract

The evolution of resistance to insecticides is well known to be closely associated with the overexpression of detoxifying enzymes. Although the role of glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes in insecticide resistance has been widely reported, the underlying regulatory mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, one GST gene (GSTu1) and its antisense transcript (lnc-GSTu1-AS) were identified and cloned, and both of them were upregulated in several chlorantraniliprole-resistant Plutella xylostella populations. GSTu1 was confirmed to be involved in chlorantraniliprole resistance by direct degradation of this insecticide. Furthermore, we demonstrated that lnc-GSTu1-AS interacted with GSTu1 by forming an RNA duplex, which masked the binding site of miR-8525-5p at the GSTu1-3'UTR. In summary, we revealed that lnc-GSTu1-AS maintained the mRNA stability of GSTu1 by preventing its degradation that could have been induced by miR-8525-5p and thus increased the resistance of P. xylostella to chlorantraniliprole. Our findings reveal a new noncoding RNA-mediated pathway that regulates the expression of detoxifying enzymes in insecticide-resistant insects and offer opportunities for the further understanding of the mechanisms of insecticide and drug resistance.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Drug Resistance / genetics*
  • Glutathione Transferase / genetics
  • Insecticide Resistance / genetics*
  • Insecticides / pharmacology
  • Larva / drug effects
  • Larva / genetics
  • MicroRNAs / genetics*
  • Moths / drug effects
  • Moths / genetics
  • RNA, Long Noncoding / genetics*
  • ortho-Aminobenzoates / pharmacology

Substances

  • Insecticides
  • MicroRNAs
  • RNA, Long Noncoding
  • ortho-Aminobenzoates
  • chlorantranilipole
  • Glutathione Transferase

Grants and funding

The work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.31572023) to PL. The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.31901915) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2018M641546) to BZ. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.